Twenty-five immigrants who live on the Central Coast were taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents during a 5-day operation conducted this week in Santa Cruz County and Monterey County.

A few of the people detained had no criminal record other than entering the U.S. illegally. Most had prior criminal convictions.

Everyone arrested is a Mexican national, except for one King City man, who is from El Salvador and is a convicted child abuser, ICE said.

One of the three people arrested in Santa Cruz had been deported to Mexico before.

Agents "targeted public safety threats, such as convicted criminal aliens and individuals who have violated our nation’s immigration laws, including individuals who re-entered the country after being removed, and immigration fugitives ordered deported by federal immigration judges," Schwab said.

Local police forces, the Monterey County Sheriff's Office, and the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office did not participate in the 5-day operation. It was spearheaded by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations division.

ICE

ICE arrests on Central Coast

The majority of arrests were made in Greenfield and King City. King City Police Chief Robert Masterson and Greenfield Police Cheif Tony Sollecito told KSBW that ICE gave them a heads up about when federal agents would be in town. Beyond that, ICE did not tell local police departments much information.

"They're not trying to hide anything, they are under no obligation to give us any information," Sollecito said.

King City's police chief said, "I do not have the legal authority to tell a federal agency that they can't enter into our jurisdiction."

Whether a Central Coast city or county was designated as a so-called "sanctuary" did not appear to have any impact on ICE's operation. Soledad, Watsonville, and Santa Cruz are "sanctuary cities."

Since President Donald Trump signed Executive Orders regarding immigration enforcement priorities, ICE has arrested more than 41,000 nationwide who are suspected of being in the country illegally, a nearly 40 percent increase over the same period in 2016. Almost 75 percent of those arrested during this period in 2017 are convicted criminals, with offenses ranging from homicide to drug-related charges.

David Jennings, field office director for ERO, said, "ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations officers identify, arrest, and remove aliens who present a danger to national security or are a risk to public safety, as well as those who enter the United States illegally or otherwise undermine the integrity of our immigration laws and our border control efforts. Operations like this that target and arrest convicted criminals and other immigration fugitives make our communities safer for everyone."